Stars mourn death of celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain

A number of celebrities have paid tribute to celebrated chef Anthony Bourdain.

The food expert and TV personality was found unresponsive in his hotel room in France on Friday morning (08Jun18) by his close friend, French chef Eric Ripert.

Bourdain’s death was reported as a suspected suicide by CNN representatives, the network on which he presented his TV show, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown. He was 61.

In the wake of the shocking news, Hollywood stars and high-profile names from the food industry have taken to social media to honor Bourdain and express their condolences to his family.

Model and cookbook author Chrissy Teigen wrote on Twitter, “Anthony. One of my idols. Unapologetic, passionate and one of the best storytellers on the planet. Thank you for making food so exciting. And always standing up for everything right. Horrible. Why why why. Be at peace now.”

Actor Josh Gad shared a similar sentiment in his message, noting, “I cannot comprehend the news that #anthonybourdain is dead from an apparent suicide. I am truly stunned and lost. An incredible genius gone far too soon. This one really hurts.”

Star Trek veteran George Takei stated that Bourdain “sometimes spoke of his battle with depression” and was saddened to learn of his passing, while American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson shared, “A friend of @StarTalkRadio. A friend of Food & Culture. A friend to us all. Anthony Bourdain, RIP.”

Actresses Busy Philipps and Debra Messing both wrote that they had “no words” and Breaking Bad’sBryan Cranston used his tribute to also reference the shock death of designer Kate Spade earlier this week, which officials have ruled as a suicide, and to urge people with mental health issues to seek help.

“According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), there are nearly 45,000 suicides every year in the US. Shocking. I was saddened to hear of the deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain. RIP. It illustrates that success is not immune to depression. We all need to be more aware of our friends who are suffering,” he shared.

Meanwhile, British chef Gordon Ramsay wrote, “Stunned and saddened by the loss of Anthony Bourdain. He brought the world into our homes and inspired so many people to explore cultures and cities through their food.”

And Nigella Lawson commented: “Heartbroken to hear about Tony Bourdain’s death. Unbearable for his family and girlfriend. Am going off twitter for a while.”

Bourdain graduated from the Culinary Institute of America in 1978 and over the course of his career worked in numerous professional kitchens, including many years as executive chef at Brasserie Les Halles in New York.

However, he rose to fame when he released his 2000 book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly and kicked off his food and travel show A Cook’s Tour, which ran for 35 episodes on the Food Network from 2002 -2003. He also appeared in TV shows Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations and The Layover.

Bourdain is survived by Ariane, his 11-year-old daughter with his ex-wife Ottavia Busia. He was most recently in a relationship with Italian actress Asia Argento.